Save the California Delta Alliance (STCDA)

We knew Two-Gates had only been postponed, not stopped indefinitely. But we were hopeful that the project would be taken off the table when we heard from the USBR last week that (1) their scientific study to determine if there would be any positive effect on the Delta Smelt from the Two-Gates would take 2-3 years and (2) the final project would be very different from the initial Two-Gates plan and instead, if implemented, would take the needs of the local communities in mind. The revised plan would undoubtably cost a great deal of money to implement (especially if the “gates” are expensive locks) – an expensive “experiment.”

But as reported by RestoreTheDelta.org, the fact that Two-Gates has been put on-hold “makes Assemblymembers like Caballero, Arambula, and Fuller impatient. It makes ACWA, the San Luis and Delta Mendota Water Agency, and the Metropolitan Water District impatient. It makes Westlands Water District very impatient.” They don’t care about the Delta (the environment or the communities who rely on it), they only care about extracting more water from the Delta even if that results in the Delta becoming a salty, polluted bog.

On Tuesday, May 11, the Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife reviewed Assembly Joint Resolution AJR 38, proposed by Assemblymember Caballero. The resolution requests the U.S. Department of the Interior to prioritize the study of the Two-Gates Fish Protection Demonstration Project and implementation.

Mary Piepho represented the five Delta counties at the committee meeting voicing opposition to AJR 38. However, the committee still voted to approve an amended version. While the amended version removed some of the posturing and myths that were in the initial version (thanks, I’m sure, to Mary and the other Delta supervisor’s efforts), we still have a HUGE concern that instead of taking steps to really fix the state’s water issues, Westlands and others interested in privatizing and making a profit from re-selling water continue to push projects, like Two-Gates, that will not provide any true short-term solution to the water issues and will ultimately continue down the path of irreparable harm to the Delta.

The resolution is headed for votes by legislators.

Tell your representatives to oppose AJR 38 !

Even representatives that we know oppose Two-Gates benefit from continued feedback. It gives them more ammunition when voicing their constituents concerns.

For Discovery Bay:

• Assemblyperson Joan Buchanan: email assemblymember.buchanan@assembly.ca.gov
• State Sen. Mark DeSaulnier: email senator.desaulnier@senate.ca.gov and/or go to his website http://legplcms01.lc.ca.gov/PublicLCMS/ContactPopup.aspx?district=SD07.
• Governer Arnold: governor@governor.ca.gov and/or enter comment on his website http://gov.ca.gov/interact.

For other areas:
If you don’t know your representative, go to the League of Women Voter’s (LWV) site. It also gives hints on the best way to contact each (via email or website).

Sample Letter

SAMPLE INFORMATION TO SEND
(Be sure to replace [NAME] and [ADDRESS] with your name and address)
—————CUT HERE————————-

Please vote “NO” on Assembly Joint Resolution 38. Comments sent during the Two-Gates comment period identified that the project was an ill-conceived “experiment”, was unlikely to protect Delta Smelt, and would have major detrimental effects on local communities. Two-Gates would cost a great deal of money to study and implement, money better spent on real initiatives to reverse the damage done by excessive water exporting and other stressors on the Delta.

Instead of wasting money on more experiments that will negatively effect the Delta, please spend money to research the amount of water required for a healthy Delta, the amount of water that can be safely exported and a balanced state plan to address any additional water needs from other sources (desalinization, agricultural conservation, etc.)

Sincerely,

[NAME]
[ADDRESS]

Discovery Bay was the next to last stop today in a two-day Water Education Foundation “Flood Management Tour” taken by about 50 people. The tour group included farmers, county supervisors, water agencies, and others – many from the Central Valley and L.A. The meeting was at the Boardwalk Grill and was a chance to show them Discovery Bay and to express the South Delta communities’ concerns about Two-Gates and other proposed changes to the Delta.

The first speaker was Mario Manzo from the US Bureau of Reclamations, Project Manager for the Two-Gates project. Following Mario, our own Mike Guzzardo talked about the STCDA concerns with Two-Gates: the appreciation for the Delta the people who live here have and the desire to not see it turned into a salt water estuary. Concerns with the proliferation of dams and gates affecting the water quality “IN” the Delta (as opposed to the rest of the people in the room’s concern about the quality of the water being “EXPORTED” from the Delta for agriculture and drinking water) and navigation and safety issues with the Two-Gates. About the desire for a “balanced” state water plan which takes into consideration the needs of Delta communities.

Although Mike wasn’t speaking to an audience sharing our concerns, it was an opportunity to give a human face to the views on the other side of the water export argument. Mike did a great job !

Good news from the USBR

Of significant interest were a couple of updates about the Two-Gates project from Mario. First, from the USBR perspective, the next steps are two to three years’ study to validate the science behind the project before anything would be done.

In addition, the USBR has been meeting with the Dept. of Waterways and Desmond & Desmond (agency representing the interests of the Recreational Boaters of California (RBOC)) about navigation, water access, and the other concerns raised about the Two-Gates project. “IF” any gates are installed, they would be different than in the initial project – more boater-friendly. Perhaps locks or equivalent. So that’s great news even though our goal is to avoid any experimental dams in the Delta which are likely to negatively effect the ecosystem.

It shows your comments and feedback were heard and is making a difference in how the USBR is looking at the Delta and its use. Mario made reference more than once to the 1400 comments the USBR had received about the Two-Gates project – and all but one objected to the Two-Gates project and most raised navigation and safety concerns. Good work everyone !

However …

While that’s good news, the bad news is that the legislative bills to re-start the Two-Gates project and do so quickly are still being pushed through the legislature. Mary Peipho spoke in opposition to Assembly Joint Resolution (AJR) 38 at the committee hearing Tuesday and all five Delta County supervisors oppose the Two-Gates and AJR 38. But it is still moving ahead. And the Delta Interim Draft Plan still lists Two-Gates as an objective.

We still have work to do but by all of us in the community working together, we are making progress.

Check out the new look for www.NoDeltaGates.com. We think it’s nicer and easier to read. Hope you agree.

The Delta Stewardship Council has posted a Draft Interim Plan and an invitation for comments. Click here for a copy. Send comments to interimplan@deltacouncil.ca.gov. The Interim Plan will be in effect until the “Delta Plan” replaces it and becomes an enforceable document. Comments received by May 12 will be included in the Council’s May 27-28 meeting packet. Items received after May 12 will be considered in the later June Council meeting.

Two-Gates – They’re Back

Draft Plan item V:
“(a) Continue working on the rapid science study for the Two-Gates Fish Protection Project”
“(b) Construct and implement the Two-Gates …”

First, if it is a “rapid” science study will it be comprehensive? Second, there is no qualifier that said if the scientific study showed gates weren’t effective, don’t construct them. Constructing the gates is a step of its own. There’s no Environmental Impact Report (EIR) step listed or any other updated project plan. There’s nothing that addresses the safety, boating, and economic issues raised by our communities. Looks to me like it’s another attempt to ram rod the Two-Gates project even though the US Department of the Interior stated (see the AJR 38 Bill Analysis) that they were concerned with the lack of scientific study, the escalating cost of the project, and the potential impacts of the project as raised in over 1400 comment letters.

The Two-Gates project as it was originally scoped in the USBR FONSI should not be included in this plan.

The Delta isn’t a Plumbing Fixture

The Plan is heavily focused on the Delta as the primary solution for the entire state’s water needs. Step 1 of the plan should be to determine the amount of flow required to maintain a healthy Delta ecosystem. Once that is determined, the rest of the plan can be finalized. Specific steps should be included to minimize the amount of water the state needs from the Delta such as reducing evaporation from the Aqueduct, desalination plants, agriculture conservation, and groundwater clean-up.

Agriculture

The goal “Support for agriculture” needs clarification. As seen in Sen. Feinstein’s proposed Amendment to the Jobs Bill, some are quick to propose changing priority water rights and put the Westlands farmers to the front of the line ahead of Delta farmers and others who hold senior water rights. The plan needs to include maintaining farmers’ priority water rights.

In addition, “Support for agriculture“ needs to be qualified.
1. There are currently lands with high levels of selenium being farmed. This has resulted in wildlife deformities and causes significant issues for downstream Delta farmers.
2. Some crops like cotton and rice consume more water than others. The plan needs to support balancing the economic value of agriculture to the State with negative impacts to the state water supply
3. Some farmers leverage their water rates to resell at a profit. This should be eliminated by mandating no profiteering from reselling water rights.

Programs to encourage farmers to switch to crops needing less water, eliminate farming on selenium-filled land and eliminate reselling water rights should be added to this plan.

Recognition of Delta Communities’ Needs

Recognition of the Delta as a home to millions and an economic basis for the communities (local agriculture, fishing, boating, home values, local businesses) needs to also be specifically considered and supported by this plan. As shown by the Two-Gates project, these project do not include consideration for the Delta communities. Furthermore, there is no oversight by Delta legislators or funding for that oversight as part of the plan. The five Delta County supervisors have requested funding – that should be part of the plan.

Send Comments

We encourage anyone with concerns about this becoming the Interim Delta plan send comments to interimplan@deltacouncil.ca.gov. If you share the concerns above, copy them or revise to describe your specific concerns/recommendations.

People have been asking me “What’s happening with the 2-Gates and other Delta projects?” While we made great progress delaying the 2-Gates project, there are many projects moving ahead and legislation to re-start 2-Gates being debated.

Since our Discovery Bay meeting March 1st, the STCDA (NoDeltaGates) team has been monitoring current events and working with other organizations like RestoreTheDelta.org.

RestoreTheDelta reported on April 19th:

“April 1st was more than just April Fools’ Day; it was also the seating of the Delta Stewardship Council, which happened to coincide with the West Coast Salmon Summit hosted by Congressmen George Miller and Mike Thompson. RTD had called supporters out to attend the Salmon Summit, which contributed to a glaring absence of Delta supporters at the historic seating of the Stewardship Council. The absence of Delta support in the room was noted by one of the public commentators.

The first order of business was for the Council to elect their Chair. Not surprisingly, Phil Isenberg was unanimously elected Chair. No Vice Chair was elected.

Then the appointees were introduced. Sacramento Supervisor Don Notolli holds the only seat guaranteed to represent any Delta interest on the Council by virtue of the fact that he is the Chairman of the Delta Protection Commission. Besides Supervisor Notolli, we have Hank Nordoff, Patrick Johnston, Randy Fiorini, Phil Isenberg, Gloria Gray, and Richard Roos-Collins, who was absent.

Judge Ronald Robie officiated the swearing in of the Council. Judge Robie, a former head of DWR, reads and interprets water laws, some of which he wrote years ago.

Mr. Isenberg called Judge Robie “one of the best water judges in the state; he wrote the laws.” Resources Agency Director Lester Snow told the newly sworn in Council that one of their goals should be to keep the Council’s actions out of Judge Robie’s court because “he’s not a friend of ours.” It is hard to know whose friend Snow thinks Judge Robie is, but there was chuckling in the room by those thinking the BDCP and Alternative Conveyance are done deals. Time will tell. “

The STCDA were also dissappointed on April 10th to see email from the California Sportsfishing Protection Alliance (CSPA) that:

“Assemblymember Fuller has introduced AB 2336 to terminate the management and protection of the public’s striped bass fishery that inhabits the Bay-Delta estuary. The bill mandates the elimination of all regulations that govern the legal harvest of the fishery thereby eliminating its sport fishing protective status. The author alleges this is necessary to reduce striped bass predation on salmon and Delta smelt protected by the state and federal Endangered Species Acts.

This bill is similar to the one the Fuller introduced last year that was defeated by a coalition of anglers who care about the fishery and that acted in concert with sportfishing and environmental groups lead by CSPA. That bill was killed in its first committee hearing because the false arguments used by the author significantly overstated the impact of striped bass predation. Scientific testimony provided during the hearing made it clear that striped bass rarely, if ever, eat Delta smelt and that predation on listed salmon is so low that it does not impact the population level of the listed salmon.

This bill is different in that it calls for the elimination of “the program enhancement, expansion or improvement of the fishery”. Ironically, such programs do not exist! It also requires that the Delta Stewardship Council to establish programs to discourage the promotion of the Bay-Delta striped bass as a sport fishery. It further requires the Stewardship Council to evaluate predator suppression options and make recommendations to remedy these problems. “

As a friend of mine who grew up in Brentwood said “I used to do a lot of striper fishing in the Delta back when the salmon were plentiful. I always make a point to cut open the bellies of the fish I catch to see what they are eating. I have never found a salmon in the belly of a striper!”

Other noteworthy news: Mary Piepho and the other four Delta County supervisors are fighting to obtain funding because of the Delta Plan’s critical importance to the communities of the Delta. We need to support these efforts and speak out against the new bills to re-start the 2-Gates project and, definitely, against the Water Bond Bill in November!

KQED re-aired their “Saving the Bay” series in April. Interesting information:

In 1945 the Central Valley Project (CVP) (Shasta Dam and Friant Dam and huge pumping station, the Tracy Pumps was planned). The CVP had 4 goals:
1. Water supply
2. Hydro-electric
3. Recreation
4. Flood Control

Not until it (the CVP) was in place would its impact on ecosystems become evident. Notably the blocking of the salmon’s runs.

Today the survival of salmon is based on unceremonious procedures – fertilization no longer occurs in pristine rivers, instead, unceremoniously in a bucket.

Meanwhile the huge pumping stations in the Delta reverse the estuary’s natural flow of the Delta, often destroying a vast population of fish drawn into its own irresistible pull. The millions invested in 2 great engineering marvels [the Shasta Dam and Tracy Pumps] would, by century’s end, cost billions to deal the consequences.

We have committed the sin of serial engineering when it comes to the Estuary. For every engineering effort, for every engineering investment where we have tried to engineer a particular ecosystem service out of the Delta there has been a cascade of effects. Each one of those effects requiring a new investment of engineering. On that new investment of engineering against the need for more engineering. So we get locked into a cycle of serial engineer we can’t escape.

We know the “science” behind the 2-Gates project is flawed. We need to ensure that additional Delta projects are not implemented that affect the ecosystem.

Good News – Six months after the court-ordered release of water from a Central Valley dam, the San Joaquin River is now reconnected with San Francisco Bay, a major development in the river’s long-term recovery and re-establishment of chinook salmon populations.

Website Note: We’ve added a new tab, “Event Tracker” to help you and us keep track of the current issues and current legislative bills we need to focus on. It also includes a “History of Events” starting with when many of us first heard about the 2 Gates project and tracking activities and events since then for reference.